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work that’s available on YouTube; their work is reminiscent of the PC-8801 era music. Diverse System (DS), founded by different parties, and artists can now send

Ysk439 in 2000, is a music label that their physical albums to them for online
As technology progressed, better audio editing softwares (called ‘digital audio originally started by making game selling. Examples include Diverse Direct

workstations (DAW)’ from now on) were developed, together with VST plugin technology soundtrack remixes, and is now one of (DS’s storefront), TANO*C* STORE,
from Steinberg, a German audio company. This development brought way more variety the most respected labels in the doujin and Melonbooks. BOOTH also exists for
to the table than before, thus encouraging more people to join the community. community with releases ranging from easy smaller creators who only sell digitally.

listening (works), to piano-focused music
It is also at this time two doujin music labels were founded: Diverse System and (AD:PIANO), to fast paced electronic That sounds great, you might ask, but
HARDCORE TANO*C* (yes, all caps). music (AD:Dnb, Stream Palette), to some what about now?

rare genres like ethnic (Celtic Challenge)
and many many more. Events, no matter big or small, are
held throughout Japan every year, and the

On the other hand, REDALiCE doujin culture has also spread to other
founded HARDCORE TANO*C* in 2003 countries too, like China and Taiwan,
and has been focusing on various types with them having doujin music releases
of hardcore music ever since, such as UK at their own events as well. Some doujin
hardcore, happy hardcore and gabber. artists managed to gain popularity through

Their main album series, HARDCORE their releases and successfully entered
SYNDROME, is the longest running doujin the mainstream world by composing for
album series on hardcore music, with the mainstream singers and/or games. Also,

16th installment released in August last with the power of online streaming services,
year. like YouTube and Spotify, doujin music is
slowly but surely spreading throughout the
Both labels mainly publish entire world.
compilations of various artists’ work
HARDCORE SYNDROME 16 M3 Doujin Convention
revolving around a certain theme, which In closing, I would encourage
help a lot of artists by publicising their everyone who’s reading this text to dip
work, while solo albums of certain artists your toes into this deep doujin music sea.

are also released through them, with It may feel overwhelming, so just look up
priority given to the label’s own artists. one of the two labels mentioned here, and
start from there. As a doujin music fan, I
From that point onwards, lots and can guarantee that within this vast field
lots of doujin artists then popped up, either of music, you will be able to find at least

participating in physical doujin events, or something that you’ll come to like and love.
releasing their work online; thus the doujin
music scene continued to grow and still Although this is a long article, I

continues to do so. sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed this
read, describing the beginnings of doujin
After some 10 years, since not music, how it came to be, and what it is as
everyone could afford attending the events of now.
in person, online stores were set up by
Einherjar Joker from rhythm game Arcaea

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